Sterilizing cabinet



Patented Nov. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STERILIZING CABINET AlbertE.-Larson and Charles Cardoza, Gustine, Calif.

Application April 10, 194%, SerialNo. 530,320

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and useful improved dairy utensil sterilizer that is especially designed to be used in the dairy farm industry for propertly sterilizing milk and cream receptacles, milking machine equipment and all apparatus used in the dairy business which necessitates complete sterilizing.

The present invention particularly relates to that class of sterilizers wherein the product of steam is employed for achieving the sterilization.

A considerable quantity of rubber equipment is employed in the dairy farm industry that requires sterilizing, particularly teat cups and other apparatus used in connection with milking machines. It has been discovered through practice that when rubber is subjected to steam for a sufficient length of time to achieve the proper sterilization, the rubber becomes gummy and rapidly deteriorates. It has also been discovered through practice that subjecting the rubber equipment to hot water, of a slightly lower temperature than the steam employed for sterilizing the metal and glass equipment, will destroy the bacteria without damaging or seriously afiecting the rubber.

It is therefore one of the fundamental objects of the present invention to improve sterilizers of the character described by providing the sterilizing cabinet with individual means for separately sterilizing certain types of dairy equipment with steam and other types of dairy equipment with hot water and means whereby the process of sterilizing with steam and the process of sterilizing with hot water can be carried on in the cabinet simultaneously.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for separately registering the temperature of the steam and means for separately registering the temperature of the hot water and means whereby the temperature of the steam and hot water can be separately controlled.

Another object of the invention is to provide an angular shaped top on the cabinet to carry the condensed water to the side portions therein and to thus prevent said water from dropping into the central portion of the cabinet and upon the dairly utensils therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suitable drain in the hot water cabinet and a separate drain in the steam sterilizing portion of the cabinet.

Other objects and features of advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals '2 are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 designates a front elevational view of the improved sterilizer;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical transverse sectional view of the sterilizer looking toward the rear portion thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the sterilizer taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the sterilizer.

Referring in detail to the drawings and to the numerals thereof, the numerals 5, 6, l and 8, respectively, designate the front, back and two sides of the sterilizer cabinet and the numerals 9, ll), H and i2, respectively, the portions that form the lower part and bottom of the cabinet. Numerals l4 and I5 designate portions that form the angular shaped top. The said cabinet ispreferably formed of sheet metal and is built up in any suitable manner, the present illustration showing four vertical angular supports it, ll, 18 and I9, respectively, that reinforce the corners of the cabinet and are provided with four legs 20, 2!, 22 and 23 respectively. The front of the cabinet is formed with a suitable opening 24 and a door 25 capable of closing the opening is hingedly secured to the front of the cabinet by a pair of hinges 26 and 2'! as shown in Fig. 1. ,A latch bar 28 is pivotally secured to the door 25 and holds the door closed by engaging the latch keeper 29 that is secured to the front 5 of the cabinet, numerals 30 and 3! designating stops for limiting the movement of the latch bar.

The numeral 32 designates the steam outlet that is shown in the form of a pipe T extending through the bottom portion 9 of the cabinet and the numeral 34 designates the hot water outlet that extends through the lower rear wall It! as illustrated in Fig. 3. The numerals 35, 36 and 31 designate suitable pipes leading to the steam outlet 32, the numeral 38' a pipe elbow and 39 a shut off valve for controlling the flow of steam. The hot water inlet line is shown as comprising pipes 49, ll, 42, 43, as, elbows s5, 45, 41 and the shut off valve 48 that controls the flow of water through said line. The numeral 49 designates a drain or vent in the lower horizontal wall 9, and. the numeral 58! another drain provided in the bottom H. The bottom drain line is shown as further comprising an elbow 5|, pipes 52 and 53 and a shut off valve 54. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the steam and hot water inlet lines and the drain line and all of the valves are shown at the rear of the cabinet. This is done for illustrative purposes only as it is to be understood that said pipes and valves can be positioned in any suitable manner to facilitate for the easy operation of the sterilizer.

Any suitable number of shelves can be provided for holding the dairy utensils in the steam sterilizing portion of the sterilizer the present illustration showing two shelves 55 and 5S removably supported on angular brackets 51 that are substantially fixed to the sides of the cabinet. The said shelves are of the conventional ribbon or metal cloth type, but can be any suitable shelves that will serve the purpose of the invention. A hook and eye arrangement 58 serves to hold the lower shelf 56 in an upper position as shownby,

the dot and dash outline in Fig. 3. This feature is provided to facilitate the access to the hot water sterilizing chamber 59. The steam sterilizing portion 00 of the cabinet has a thermometer 6| for registering the temperature of the steam therein and, likewise, the hot water sterilizing chamber 59 has a thermometer 62 for separately registering the temperature of the hot water in said chamber.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it will be readily observed that the temperature of the steam and water can be separately controlled and separately observed and also that the rubber equipment can be sterilized in the hot water free from the steam while the metal and glass equipment isbeing sterilized in the steam. The temperature of the steam is preferably maintained at substantially 185 degrees Farenheit and the temperature of the hot water for sterilizing the rubber equipment is preferably maintained at substantially 180 degrees Farenheit. The proper temperature of the hot water is obtained by opening the hot water valve 48 and leaving the drain valve 54 open until the thermometer 62 records the temperature of 180 degrees, likewise steam is admitted into the cabinet by opening the steam valve 39 and leaving said valve open until the thermometer 6! records a temperature of 185 degrees after which the steam valve is partially closed to maintain the temperature of 185 degrees. The dairy equipment is left in the steam and also the hot water a sufficient length of time to destroy any and all bacteria thereof and thereby assure complete sterilization.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A dairy utensil sterilizer comprising a cabinet having a steam sterilizing portion for sterilizing metal and glass utensils and a hot water sterilizing portion for sterilizing rubber utensils, means for conveying steam into the steam sterilizing portion, a shut off valve in said means, means for separately conveying hot water into the hot water sterilizing portion, a drain in the steam sterilizing portion, a drain in the hot Water sterilizing portion, a shut off valve in the hot water conveyingmeans. and another shut off valve in the hot water drain whereby the temperature of the hot water can be varied and controlled with respect to the temperature of the steam.

2. A dairy utensil sterilizer comprising a cabinet having a steam sterilizing portion for sterilizing metal and-glass utensils and a hot water sterilizing portion for sterilizing rubber utensils, means for conveying steam into the steam sterilizing portion, a shut oif valve in said means, means for separately conveying hot water, into the hot water sterilizing portion, a drainin the steam sterilizing portion, a drain inthe hot water sterilizing portion, a shut oil valve in thehot. water conveying means and another shut off valve in the hot water drain whereby the temperature of the hot Water can be varied andcontrolled with respect to the temperature of the steam, a thermometer for registering the temperature of the steam and a second thermometer for registering the temperature of the hot water.

ALBERT E. LARSON. CHARLES CARDOZA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 261,672 Cartwright July 25, 1882 713,056 Busser Nov. 11, 1902 1,750,245 Schwedler Mar. 11, 1930 1,850,923 Danzer Mar. 22, 1932 2,340,206 Richards Jan. 25, 1944 

